confined space » hollowheart

Chapter One: Untold Screts

For perhaps the first time in months, as Jacob Portman lay in the summer sun, back behind a house of peculiar children, their small figures playing like any child would around him, his sleep wasn’t filled with nightmares that would wake him in cold sweets and tears, but instead a calm dream. Dreams of calm green waters, candy blue skies, and the sweet smell of burning wood. Lights like fireworks danced around the edges of his sight, as he felt himself smile. A smile that he often neglected himself nowadays.

But of course, even dreams, like nightmares always ended with waking. And Jacob found himself being woken to the soft shoving of something small against his foot. Jacob was on his way to find Emma after talking with the Bird, yet, he must have dozed off in the warm sun. Opening his eyes, which for once in the last few months didn’t feel heavy or unrested, Jacob’s eyes found a tiny clay figure pressing itself into his ankle. After a moment of examining he realized it was trying to hide in his shoe, but only managed to tangle its tiny body in the laces. Jacob sat up, reaching out to help the poor thing, untying his shoe and untangling it from its prison. It was so small that Jacob could pick the thing up with two fingers and he placed it on his palm to take a closer look. It was built with a human-like body but had no face, only a smeared fingerprint.

“Oy, bring him here!” An Irish tanged voice called from across the lawn, the boy sat against a tree stump with a small army of the clay creatures moving about him. Taking the last few moments of decision to wake up, Jacob got to his feet and walked over. His gaze flickered from one clay man to another, their movements were clunky and uncoordinated, like watching a baby trying to walk. Jacob leaned down and placed the small creature in his hand down with the others, before sitting down himself, careful to not squish any of the soldiers.

“They’re cute,” Jacob spoke, holding out a finger for one of the clay men to play with. The boy shrugged, his shoulders looking too tight for his childish body. Dark circles rimed even darker eyes, while equally black curly hair fell in his face. If Jacob’s mother had seen him, she would have complained about getting a haircut. He had on clay stained overalls atop a black sweater and black pants. Actually, the only thing that wasn’t black about him was his pale skin, which looked like it had never seen the sun.

“I’m Enoch,” he said, ignoring the compliment.

“I remember, we meet at dinner, yesterday.” Enoch gave a hum in reply.

“‘M sorry if they bothered you, they like wandering.” Jacob watched him corral the men back into the area in between them, so none ran off.

“What exactly are they?” Out of all the peculiars, Enoch was the only one Jacob hadn’t seen his ability yet.

“Homunculi.” Enoch gave a quick answer, keeping his gaze off of Jacob, more interested in his creatures. 

Jacob’s face scrunched in confusion. “What are homunculi?”

Enoch only pointed to his creations, as they crawled over each other.

Helpful.

A silence waved over them, as the clay soldiers began rapidly moving. Jacob had to look closer just to see what exactly they were doing. Fighting. The clay men were hitting and kicking and tearing at each other.

“Whoa!” Jacob winced back when one of the clay men tore off another’s arm. “Wha-what are they doing?”

“Fighting.” Enoch’s face was almost blank, however, a devilish, almost sadistic, smirk. It was an interesting mix of dead-like eyes, yet too emotion-filled grinning. Scooping up a fleeing clay man, Enoch gave it a scowl. “No deserters.” The small creation was quickly smushed as Enoch shut the man in his hand. When it opened again, only a small wad of what was once a walking and living thing, but this wad wasn’t moving at all.